Business

Amazon Executive Hopes for Era of Peace with Publishers

Published

11 years ago

January 15, 2015

Oakland Post

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (Reed Saxon/AP Photo)

HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The overseer of Amazon.com’s Kindle e-book and publishing divisions is preaching peace.

With a monthslong standoff between Amazon and Hachette Book Group over e-book revenues settled and a multiyear agreement in place, Amazon senior vice president Russ Grandinetti said Wednesday that he looks forward to an era of “focusing on growing the business.”

He said such disputes, which led to Amazon removing “Pre-order” buttons from some Hachette books and reducing discounts, rarely become so public and the company’s goal is to “keep it rare.”

Grandinetti was interviewed on stage during Digital Book World, a three-day gathering in midtown Manhattan. Harsh words were exchanged last year between Amazon and Hachette officials, but Grandinetti said Wednesday that the interests of Amazon and publishers were “highly aligned.”

Publishers, writers and editors have criticized Amazon, by far the country’s biggest bookseller, for everything from setting e-book prices too low to publishing their own books and competing with its suppliers. Writers published by Amazon have complained that the Kindle Unlimited subscription program was costing them royalties.

During a roughly 30-minute conversation with two of Digital Book World’s organizers — industry consultant Mike Shatzkin and Michael Cader, founder of the industry newsletter Publishers Lunch — Grandinetti said Amazon was “super focused on happy authors” and treated them with the same dedication it treats customers, constantly seeking feedback.

He also emphasized that Amazon was both changing the industry and continuing long-term practices.

“More approaches to publishing I think is pretty healthy: The more competition there is, the more choices there are for authors, the more we figure out what succeeds,” he said.

He added that Scribner and Doubleday were among the publishers who ran bookstores and that Barnes & Noble also published books. “This idea is not terribly unusual.”

Shatzkin noted that with e-books sales and online purchases leveling off, the book industry might be in for a relatively stable period. Grandinetti was skeptical. He said observations like that made him nervous, and wondered whether similar comments were offered in the months before Amazon launched the Kindle e-reader in 2007 and effectively launched the e-book revolution.

“It’s hard to predict when things emerge that cause you to have to change the business,” he said.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

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March 22, 2026

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Advice

Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC